Take action now against mass death sentences in Egypt

[Following the further mass death sentences handed down against another 683 defendants on 28 April and the commutation of 492 of the original death sentences to 25 -year jail terms, we will be handing in collected signatures to the Egyptian Embassy on 5 June, in advance of the first round of appeals. The text of the statement has been updated to add information about the new sentences.]

A court in the Upper Egyptian province of Minya has sentenced 529 defendants to death in a trial which has been condemned as “grotesque” by Amnesty International.

Take action now – sign our statement using the form below.

We condemn the death sentences issued by a court in Minya province in Egypt on 24 March 2014 against 529 defendants who were found guilty of the murder of a police officer during the storming of Matay police station in August 2013, as well as the death sentences issued in the same court against a further 683 defendants on 28 April 2014.

The use of the death sentence against such a large number of defendants underscores that the current regime is not interested in finding out the truth about the events which led to this prosecution but rather in imposing collective punishment on its opponents.

The sentences were issued without hearing any arguments from the defence in a trial which lasted only 45 minutes according to defence lawyers.

International and local human rights organisations have documented numerous cases of mass arbitrary arrests, lack of access to legal representation and severe torture of detainees since the military’s intervention to remove Muslim Brotherhood affiliated president Muhammed Morsi from power on 3 July 2013.

We also note that according to Amnesty International around 1400 people were killed between 30 June 2013 and January 2014, the vast majority of them protesters. According to local human rights activists the numbers of detainees arrested during the same period may be as many as 21000.

In such circumstances it is impossible to have any confidence in this judgement.

We call for an end to the violent repression of protests in Egypt and fair trials for all accused.

Send protests to the Egyptian authorities in your country calling for the sentences to be overturned, for fair trials for all accused and an end to the repression of protests. In the UK write to the Egyptian Ambassador viaeg.emb_london@mfa.gov.eg

I think everyone knows how bullshit this decision is – it’s not just wrong in the sense that these people will be murdered. It’s wrong because the precedent being set here must be stopped before it spreads and more innocent, upset and angry, but innocent people end up the victim of such a barbaric sentence.

Sentencing 529 individuals to death , for the death of one man, shows a singular lack of humanity and respect for life.
In a civilised culture, we don’t do, or ascribe to that sort of inhumanity!
It is no wonder that the population is in revolt.

No sane person would believe that 529 people all conspired together to kill ONE person. Thats injustice at its best. The Egyptian government continues to show their true colors day after day. May the coup fall and fall soon. Amen.

Being human means to stop the massacres executed
Of the implementation of this anachronistic world where death should apply to those applications and the shame of humanity should be stopped immediately